Stop motion for textile machines



1951 R. H. ROUGHSEDGE ETAL 2,570,381

STOP MOTION FOR TEXTILE MACHINES Filed Dec. 13, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Lr, JhIflIWlll/lllilllll )I/n we I a I 27 29 29 IN VEN TORS- UGHSED STIG.

ATTOQNEYS wet}! 4" 1951 R. H. ROUGHSEDGE ETAL 2,570,381

STOP [MOTION FOR TEXTILE MACHINES Filed Dec. 15, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IINVENTORS R. H. RoucHs EDGE.

B H G LUSTIG.

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Patented Oct. 9, 1951 STOP MOTION FOR TEXTILE MACHINES Robert H.Roughsedge, Ramsey, N. J and Hans G. Lustig, Long Island City, N. Y.,assignors to Celanese Corporation of America, a corporation of DelawareApplication December 13, 1947, Serial No. 791,538

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to stop motions for knitting machines, looms andlike textile machines wherein a warp of yarns is fed to operatinelements, and relates more particularly to stop motions for warpknitting machines.

An important object of this invention is the provision of improveddevice which may be readily applied to a warp knitting machine or loomand which, upon breakage of a warp yarn, will activate the stop motionof the machine to halt the operation thereof.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel device foractivating the stop motion of a warp knitting machine or loom uponbreakage of a warp yarn, comprising a light source for emitting alongthin bundle of light rays traversing the full Width of the warp knittingmachine and a photo-electric tube for receiving said light rays.

Other objects of this invention, together with certain details ofconstruction and combinations of parts, will appear from the followingdetailed description.

According to this invention, a warp stop device comprises two basicunits, a light source which may readily be attached to one end of a warpknitting machine and a photo-electric relay to the other end thereof. Along thin bundle of light rays emerges from the light source, traversesthe entire width of the warp knitting machine in such a, position thatany broken yarn ends will pass through said light rays, and finallenters the photo-electric tube. The passing of the broken yarn endthrough the light rays causes a decrease in the intensity of theillumination upon the cathode of the photo-electric tube, causing theenergization of a control relay through suitable electrical connections.The control relay operates a switch to open the warp knitting machinemotor circuit to halt the operation of the machine.

This invention will now be described in greater detail with reference tothe accompanying drawings, it being understood, however, that thisdescription is given by way of example only and is in no respectlimitative.

Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically the positioning of the light source unitin the frame of a twobar warp knitting machine, only part of which isshown,

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view, partly in section, showing themountings of the light source unit and of the photo-electric tube, and

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the photoelectric relay and lightsource power supply.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several viewsof the drawings.

In Fig. 1, there is shown the frame 4 of a twobar warp knitting machineon which are supported warp beams 5 and 5, guide rods 1 and 8, andtension rods 9 and II, over which warps l2 and I3 are passed on theirway to the knitting elements generally indicated by reference numerall4. lhese knitting elements. as is well understood in the art, areoperated by means of connecting elements. connected to the cam shaft [6of the machine. The knitted fabric l1 passes over guide rod l8 andunder-roller I9 and on to take-up roller 2 I.

Positioned beneath each warp I2 and I3 is stop motion device comprisinga light source 22 and a photo-electric tube 23. The position of theselight sources 22 is such that a broken end or ends of the warp yarnwould fall in the path of the light rays issuing from said lightsources. The light source may be any suitable device which is capable ofemitting a long thin light ray. It is preferred, however, to employ aconcentrated-arc lamp 24 having a pin point light source. The lamp ishoused in a light absorbin shield 25. The lamp 24 in conjunction withlenses 26 and 21 and iris 28 produces a bundle of light rays 29 so finethat even a yarn end of small denier passing through said beam of rays29 will reduce materially the cross-section of the beam and decrease theaverage intensity of illumination upon the cathode of the photo-electrictube 23 from 1 to 5%.

Fig. 3 shows the circuit for supplying power to the light source 22 andto the photo-electric relay circuit in which photo-electric tube 23 islocated. The power supply circuit comprises alternating current supplylines 3! and 32, say, from a regulated 117 volt supply, which leadthrough a disconnect switch 33 to a bridge rectifier 34 having acondenser 35 across the line on its output side. The rectified currentpasses through a variable resistor 36 and a reactance coil 31 to a fixedresistance 38 to the light source 22. A vacuum snap switch 39 is placedin parallel with the light source 22. To energize the light source,switch 39 is first closed and then switch 33 is closed. This causes alarge current to flow through the reactance coil 31 and, upon snappingopen switch 39, a high-voltage impulse originating in reactance coil 31causes the energization of the arc lamp 24 and the emission of the beamof light in a continuous manner.

A photo-electric relay circuit receives its current supply fromalternating current supply lines 3| and 32 through a transformer 4|. Thecurrent passes through a rectifier tube 42 which with condenser 43,resistor 44 and condenser 45 forms a rectifying and filtering network.

When the light beam 29 is uncut by a yarn end, the steady state ofillumination causes a fixed or steady rate of electronic emission fromthe cathode 46 of the photo-electric tube, which tube is capacitycoupled to an amplifying system by means of condenser 41 and resistors48 and 49. Potentiometers 5i and 52 and resistor 53 serve to put theproper photo-electric tube anode voltage across the photo-electric tubecircuit. The amplifying system comprises amplifier tubes 54 and 55having suitable electrical connections to obtain a stable amplifyinsystem. Such connections are well known in the art and are, there fore,not indicated on the drawing.

When the light beam 29 is intersected by a broken yarn end or ends, theillumination reaching the photo-electric tube cathode 46 is suddenlydecreased. This sudden change of illumination intensity reaching thesaid cathode 46 causes a decrease in anode current in the photo-electrictube, which in turn efiects an increase in the plate currents of theamplifier tubes 54 and 55. The plate current from amplifier tube 55energizes coil 56 of a control relay generally indicated by referencenumeral 57, whereby the machine motor circuit is opened and theoperation of said machine halted.

Since the signal from the photo-electric tube is of short duration,means are provided to cause the current to pass through the relay 5? fora time interval sufficient to effect the operation of the said relay.This means comprises a variable resistor 58, resistor 59 and condenser6|, all of which elements are in the network of amplifier tube 54.

A disconnect switch 62 may be inserted in the alternating current supplylines 3i and 32 leading to the transformer 41.

It will be appreciated that the control relay may also operate a visualor audible signal upon energization of the same by the means abovedescribed.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is givenmerely by way of illustration and that many variations may be madetherein without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having described our invention, what w desire to secure by LettersPatent is;

In a textile machine wherein a warp of yarns is fed to operatingelements, means for stopping the operation of said machine upon breakageof a Warp yarn, said means comprising a light source, including aconcentrated arc lamp having a pin point light source, lenses and aniris, a power supply circuit for the same and a vacuum snap switch insaid circuit in parallel with said light source, for projecting aconcentrated beam of light rays across the entire width of said machinefixed at one lateral end of said machine and a photo-electric tube forreceiving said light rays fixed at the other lateral end of saidmachine, operative means controlled by said photoelectric tube adaptedto operate a relay to stop the machine upon the passing of a broken yarnend through said beam of light rays, an electric circuit connecting saidphoto-electric tube and said relay and means including a potentialdividing resistance and a condenser in said circuit adapted to providefeedback and to cause the current to pass through said relay for a timeinterval sufficient to efiect the operation of said relay.

ROBERT H. ROUGHSEDGE. HANS G. LUSTIG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,233,483 Metcalf Mar. 4, 19412,346,240 Thomas Apr. 11, 1944 2,429,528 Sepavich et al Oct. 21, 19472,432,171 Payne Dec. 9, 1947 2,438,365 I-Iepp et al Mar. 23, 1948 OTHERREFERENCES General Electric Co., Catalog GEA 1654A, page 14, October1933.

